2017 Happiest Cities In America, According To WalletHub

While it’s often said that happiness is a state of mind rather than a place, we can’t deny that location plays somewhat of a role in our mood. For years, researchers have studied the science behind happiness and found its key ingredients include a healthy physique, a positive mental state, strong social connections, financial well-being, and job satisfaction.

But like the old saying goes, you can’t buy happiness. According to the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, wealth only follows happiness up to an income level of $75,000 a year.

In hopes of proving we can attain or aspire a happier life depending on where we choose to live, WalletHub’s data team drew upon the findings of positive psychology research to determine which city among 150 of the largest U.S. cities is home to the happiest people in America.

WalletHub examined each city based on 30 key indicators of happiness, ranging from depression rate to income-growth rate, to average leisure time spent per day.

Methodology

To figure out which cities made the list, WalletHub’s analysts compared 150 of the largest cities across three key dimensions: Emotional and Physical Well-Being (50 points), Income and Employment (25 points), and Community and Environment (25 points).

The analysts then evaluated these categories using 30 relevant metrics. Each metric was then graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing maximum happiness.

Scores were calculated for each city based on its weighted average across all metrics – these scores were then used as the resulting scores to construct their final ranking.

Strength of Social Ties: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
Note: This metric is based on responses to Sharecare’s RealAge® Test and was used in our report in order to highlight the places where relationships with family and friends are stronger, as living in these places will surely provide an upside on one’s social life as well.